Leinster Debuts For Ruddock, Ryan And O'Malley

The Leinster team to face the Newport Gwent Dragons in Sunday's Magners League encounter at Rodney Parade (kick-off 5pm) has been named.

Leinster Academy forwards Rhys Ruddock and Dominic Ryan will make their senior debuts for the province after impressing recently in the British & Irish Cup, in a line-up which displays a mix of youth and experience.

Ruddock, who only turned 19 last month, and Ryan played for the Ireland Under-20s last season and took part in the recent training camp for Allen Clarke's U-20 squad.

With Devin Toner locking down alongside Malcolm O'Kelly, the Leinster team will be led by hooker Bernard Jackman this weekend.

Behind the scrum, Ireland 'A' centre Fergus McFadden will partner Eoin O'Malley in midfield. O'Malley, the third debutant in an exciting Leinster line-up, is 21 and hoping to make his mark at senior level after a promising underage career.

Chris Keane, the elder statesman of the back-line at 31, will partner another talented youngster Ian McKinley at half-back, with David Kearney and Simon Keogh starting on the wings.

Speaking ahead of Sunday's game, the 20-year-old Kearney said that the squad are keen to maintain pole position in the league against a vastly improved Dragons side.

"This will be the third time that I will come up against the Dragons in the last six months and they are a side who impress me because they play a fast, attacking game with pace out wide and they will be a handful at Rodney Parade," said Kearney, a younger brother of Ireland and Lions star Rob.

"It will be a good test for us coming off the back of two good wins in the British & Irish Cup and we're all conscious that we need to maintain our position in the league.

"It (Rodney Parade) is a tough place to go. A number of players, including myself, made our senior debuts there in the closing game of last season and we didn't exactly cover ourselves in glory. We're conscious of that.

"Opportunities like this don't always come about in mid-season to make an impression on the coaching staff, so we're all excited about Sunday's match."

He added: "I have been pleased enough with my own form in the British & Irish Cup. In both wins, the wingers were fairly starved of the ball out wide but hopefully Sunday will provide more chances to get my hands on the ball.

"Training has been sharp with the Ireland 'A' players returning to training after being away for the last few weeks. The standard of training goes up another notch and it's great to train with the senior internationals.

"You have to feed of that experience and it gives you a good buzz and re-focuses the mind for the task at hand.

"Everyone's fresh, focused and determined to keep our place at the top of the league."

The countdown is on to the Women's Sevens Dublin tournament in UCD on August 22-23. Anthony Eddy, IRFU Director of Rugby Sevens & Women's Rugby, previews what promises to be an exciting couple of days.

Tickets for the tournament start at 5 euro, with children free, and are available to buy here - http://www.ticketmaster.ie/Womens-Sevens-Series-tickets/artist/2134381?tm_link=artist_artistvenue_module.

Jenny Murphy talks about the progress made by the Ireland Women's Sevens team and their pool draw for the upcoming Women's Sevens Dublin tournament in UCD on August 22-23.

Tickets for the tournament start at 5 euro, with children free, and are available to buy here - http://www.ticketmaster.ie/Womens-Sevens-Series-tickets/artist/2134381?tm_link=artist_artistvenue_module.

Conor Murray and Tommy Bowe speak to Irish Rugby TV about their Rugby World Cup preparations and thank the thousands of supporters who came out to see the players at the open training session at the Sportsground.

Ireland captain Paul O'Connell gives his verdict on the team's new Rugby World Cup jersey and talks about his move to French club Toulon. Ireland's RWC 2015 range is available to pre-order now from http://shop.irishrugby.ie.

Anthony Eddy, IRFU Director of Rugby Sevens, talks about the target of a top three finish for both the Ireland Men and Women in Lisbon this weekend, as they continue on their quests for Olympic qualification.

Tom Daly, who recently captained the Ireland Men's Sevens team to the European Division C and B titles, is looking forward to playing in this weekend's Rugby Europe Olympic Repechage tournament in Lisbon, Portugal.

Ireland will host the 'Women's Sevens Dublin' at UCD on Saturday, August 22 and Sunday, August 23. Tournament director Garrett Tubridy and Ireland stars Lucy Mulhall, Jenny Murphy and Louise Galvin speak about their excitement ahead of the World Rugby Women's Sevens Series qualifier.

Coach Allen Clarke and stand-in captain Billy Holland answer questions from the media following Emerging Ireland's 45-12 victory over Georgia in the final round of their successful Tbilisi Cup campaign.

Emerging Ireland coach Allen Clarke speaks about his side's five-try 33-7 win over Uruguay in the Tbilisi Cup and the first half injury to captain Rhys Ruddock. They wrap up the tournament against hosts Georgia on Sunday.

Speaking about the floods that occurred following the Tbilisi Cup's first round, Emerging Ireland team manager Joey Miles said: "A natural event like that, a tragedy like that puts the game of rugby into perspective. We express our regrets to the Georgian people and the Georgian Union for the terrible tragedy that they had."

David O'Reilly from the IRFU Charitable Trust's Corporate Patrons Committee speaks about the new scheme which provides businesses with unique networking opportunities and provides a platform for companies to effectively activate their CSR programmes. For further information, please contact Linda Black of the Charitable Trust - telephone (01) 6473866 or email: linda.black@irfu.ie / http://www.irishrugby.ie/news/34728.php.